Low earth orbit payload launch system

Abstract

The orbital launch system is a three stage vehicle to launch orbital payloads. The system uses a turbofan powered aircraft as the first stage with an aerospacecraft attached by an underling aerospacecraft pylon at an aircraft engine mount for carriage. The aerospacecraft is the second stage and is powered by an ejector ramjet engine. The aerospacecraft has a cargo bay with cargo bay doors in its midsection. A booster rocket with payload is launched from the cargo bay by use of an ejection system. Normally the payload is mounted on a rocket booster to be placed in the proper orbit. The orbital launch system may also have a parachute drop recovery system to recover the booster rocket after it deorbits.

We claim: 
     
       1. An orbital launch system comprising: a) a turbofan aircraft modified with a means to carry and to release an aerospacecraft;   b) the aerospacecraft comprising: i) a fuselage with a fore body, a midsection with a cargo bay having a plurality of cargo bay doors, and an aft body;   ii) a pair of wings attached to the fuselage each defining a wing tip and having means for control to allow a high speed pull up maneuver and maneuver of the aerospacecraft and a tail with a rudder generally vertically mounted at a tail end;   iii) two ejector ramjet engines each in an engine nacelle wherein there is a nacelle inlet and a nacelle planar faring for each ejector ramjet engine all generally located under a plane defined by the wings and the ejector ramjet engines each having an engine exhaust nozzle at the tail end of the fuselage;   iv) a forward fuel tank and an aft fuel tank in the fuselage and connected to the ejector ramjet engines;   v) a plurality of attitude control rockets connected with a plurality of position fuel tanks and mounted in a nose end of the fore body and each wing tip;   vi) a means to carry and to launch a payload; and   vii) a means for a horizontal landing.     
     
     
       2. The orbital launch system as in claim 1 wherein the means for control is an elevon in each of the wings. 
     
     
       3. The orbital launch system as in claim 1 wherein the means to carry and to release is an aerospacecraft pylon attached at an aircraft engine mount under a wing of the turbofan aircraft. 
     
     
       4. The orbital launch system as in claim 1 wherein the means for a horizontal landing is two midsection landing gear and a nose landing gear. 
     
     
       5. The orbital launch system as in claim 1 wherein the means to carry and launch the payload is the payload attached to a booster rocket contained in the cargo bay having a means for ejection and the booster rocket comprising: a rocket engine with a liquid hydrogen tank and a liquid oxygen tank attached; a pair of re-entry covers for the rocket engine; a plurality of pressurant units connected to the liquid hydrogen tank and the liquid oxygen tank; an attitude control system; and a parachute recovery system.   
     
     
       6. The orbital launch system as in claim 5 wherein the turbofan aircraft includes a parachute drop recovery system for recovery of said booster rocket having a parachute recovery system wherein the parachute drop recovery system comprises a capture yoke attached at a nose portion of the turbofan aircraft, a retrieval cable and a winch wherein a winch line clasp is attachable to an upper parachute lift line of the parachute recovery system; and an aircraft cargo bay with aft access. 
     
     
       7. The orbital launch system as in claim 1 wherein the cargo bay includes therein a formed fuel tank connected to the ejector ramjet engines. 
     
     
       8. The orbital launch system as in claim 1 wherein there air liquification cooling equipment is mounted in the aft body wherein the air liquification equipment having an air nacelle inlet with an air liquification nacelle under each wing and the air liquification equipments is connected to the ejector ramjet engines.